Asking Price
by SouthSideStory
Summary: The girl was powerful in the Force; this was what Senator Ben Solo realized first. What he noticed second was her lilac lipstick, marking her as a courtesan. His third realization was the most important: he wanted her like he'd never wanted anything in his life.
1. Chapter 1

**Warnings:** sex work, past rape/non-con (none in the present story line)

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 **Chapter One**

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Smoke clouded the bar, making everything soft and indistinct. Just one more layer of cover in a place where no one wanted to be seen. Skellig's was certainly not a respectable haunt for a galactic senator, and that was why Ben had no intention of being spotted.

He waited at a corner table, sipping Port in a Storm cut with pomegranate juice. The only person Ben knew to drink it straight was Chewie, but if the liquor was diluted he could handle it. Although the barkeep hadn't asked him questions, he could see the doubt on her face when she'd set his drink in front of him. It wasn't seemly for a senator to order alcohol that could be used as a cleaning agent, but it had been the sort of day Ben would rather forget.

Krastos finally showed up at quarter to midnight. An hour later than Ben had expected him.

"You're late," Ben said.

Krastos scratched at his cheek, right over one of the tattoos that Zabraks were so famous for.

"I had a long day," he said.

Ben snorted. "Not as long as mine, I promise."

"I heard."

Krastos laughed and pointed to the screen in the corner, which was replaying footage from today's vote. Skellig's wasn't a politically inclined establishment by any means, but this was the sort of news that would play all over the galaxy. Thanks to the Populists—thanks to his mother, really—the New Republic's military budget was about to be cut by a third. And it seemed there wasn't a single place on Hosnian Prime where Ben could get away from the vote he lost.

"Well?" he asked. "Did you find anything on Tai-Lin Garr?"

Krastos slid a flimsi folder across the table. Hard copies were nearly unheard of on Hosnian Prime, but hiring an investigator to spy on a political opponent was the kind of thing that could get Ben banned from the Senate and prosecuted. Every precaution was necessary, and a digital trail was too dangerous.

Ben flipped through the folder. Krastos had at least been thorough. It was all here: financial reports, transcripts of personal comm conversations, pictures of Senator Garr all over the city, medcenter records and more.

It was all here, and it was frustratingly unhelpful.

"There's nothing," Ben said, slamming the folder closed. "The man's clean."

"Squeaky," Krastos agreed. "Total waste of my time and your money—which you still owe me, by the way."

Paying Krastos wouldn't be a drop in the bucket of his wealth, but Ben didn't like to be reminded of debts. Especially from a criminal whose work had been utterly useless.

So he drew upon the energy in this bar, the balance that strung together every lowlife here, and tipped it in his favor.

"You've decided to do the work for free," he said, rounding his voice with calm authority. "You'll leave this place right now, then destroy all the information you gathered on Senator Garr."

Krastos blinked, a slack, dazed look settling over his face. "I've decided to do the work for free. I'll leave this place right now, then destroy all the information I gathered on Senator Garr."

He watched Krastos walk out, the flimsi folder hidden inside his coat once again.

A cold, satisfied hum played under Ben's skin. It had been some time since he'd used the Force in this way, and he'd missed it. The power that exerting his will on another creature gave him, the grounding sense of control it granted him when he so often felt unmoored.

He finished his drink, shuddering; even cut with a sharp juice it still tasted like fuel. But the Port had done its job. Ben felt calmer, the tension in his muscles loosened.

That sense of liquid peace didn't last long, because there was a sudden ripple in the Force. Like a stone being dropped in still waters, resounding and disruptive. Ben knew the feeling well, but it only crept up on him when he was around his mother, Luke, or one of his uncle's Jedi apprentices. The presence of another person sensitive to the Force.

The girl was young, but then, most courtesans were. Even poor ones fishing for customers in the slums of Republic City. There was no mistaking her profession, not with her upper lip colored pale purple, makeup that both advertised and shamed her. She straightened as Ben approached her. Her tongue darted out to touch lightly at her lip, as if tasting to be sure her lilac lipstick was in place.

She was a pretty thing, somehow elegant and raw at once. Tall and slender with brown hair and sun-kissed skin. Her white dress showed off long, shapely legs that could be opened for a price.

It was as sad as it was absurd, that this girl—desperate and lovely, working the lowest corner of the city—was Force sensitive. But she was. He could feel it all over her.

"Can I buy you a drink?" Ben asked.

She canted her head, her lips curving slowly. "You know you don't have to do that," she said, her voice low and breathy.

He didn't smile back.

"I know."

The girl looked up at him, seeming very small sitting while he stood. "Yes. You pick."

Ben got Corellian rum for both of them. Normally he'd ward off a workday headache by drinking water as well, but he'd probably catch something if he trusted the water here.

"I'm Ben," he said. "What's your name?"

She blinked as if caught off guard by his name. He didn't understand that; Ben was an ordinary enough name for a man.

"Rey." Their drinks were set down and she held up her glass in salute. "To your health, Senator."

She was forward, he'd give her that. Probably a necessity in her line of work.

Ben raised his glass as well, returned the sentiment, and took a healthy drink of his rum. It was harsh, cheap like the liquor his father preferred.

He wasn't sure what he wanted from this girl. The right thing to do would be to deliver her to his uncle for training, but Ben would rather eat sand than see Luke again. And after his own failure trying to follow the Jedi way, he couldn't honestly recommend that path to anyone.

So he simply asked, "Where are you from?"

The girl offered him a beautiful, empty smile. "Nowhere."

"Nowhere? I find that hard to believe."

Rey smiled pleasantly. "I'm from Jakku. Care to revise?"

Ben laughed, his first in days. " _Jakku?_ I suppose that is close enough to nowhere."

Rey laughed with him, though the reality of it wasn't at all funny. She took another long sip of her drink, her eyes never leaving him.

When she set down her glass, she said, "I don't have to ask where you're from, of course. I might ask how you ended up _here_. And what I could do for you during your visit."

Ben bit his lip, then made himself stop. It was one of his tells, a sign of nervousness that his first campaign manager had not quite trained him out of.

He shouldn't even consider her unsubtle offer. Rey—if that was even her name—was no more than twenty, a desert peasant who somehow fell into sex work. Political suicide in a very pretty package.

But he could feel her presence in the Force, and it was like crowding close to a bonfire, being bathed in light, heat, shadow.

"You could get dinner with me," he said. "Do you know anywhere around here that's discreet and decent?"

Rey considered him for a long time. Ben was close to taking back his offer when she reached for her napkin and dipped it in the melted ice at the bottom of her cup. She wiped off her lipstick and stood.

"There's a noodle house a block and a half away. Intimate and a little scruffy, but very good food."

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Scruffy was a generous description of Niro Noodles, but Rey knew she was right about the food. Ben ate slowly, like it was something he'd practiced. Likely he had, given what she could vaguely remember of his background. A senator, and royal lineage to boot. Rich all his life and dressed far nicer than anyone on this entire street. None of the ornamentation she would expect of the representative of Naboo, however.

Rey ate like a heathen, not even waiting until she'd swallowed one bite before she'd shove another in her mouth. She knew this about herself, and could reign it in most of the time. But it had been two full days since she'd eaten much of anything, and if it put Ben off, so be it. At least she got a free meal out of this strange transaction.

She finished well before he did, which made her feel unsteady for just a moment. Then he signaled their waiter and ordered her another bowl. He waited until it arrived and she was tucked in again before speaking.

"So, Rey from nowhere."

Rey glanced up from her noodles and found him watching her intently, dark eyes serious.

"I know you're probably busy. What should I pay you to keep me company for the rest of the night? Just to talk, not anything else."

Rey chewed her lip, looking this man over. Pretty, in an odd, inconvenient way. Reserved, but of course he was. Confident, because he asked what he should pay rather than what he could pay.

Lying about something, but what politician wasn't?

"I don't do the entire night," she said. That wasn't entirely true—this was just the first time she'd been offered.

"Play pretend that you do. How much?"

Politician.

"A thousand," Rey said. It was a fun number to play with, far and beyond what she'd ever brought home in a night. She hoped it made him laugh again, not walk away. She liked his crooked teeth.

"Done," Ben said easily.

Rey blinked at him, her joke apparently not landing. Her lips pursed.

"A thousand credits." That was her month's rent, and then some. "Just to talk to you."

He nodded solemnly. "Just to talk to me."

Rey suddenly wished that she had brought her staff with her this evening. She was about to make a foolish decision, and she was afraid it might be the first of many.

"All right."

Hosnian Prime was a pretty planet, as urban worlds went, but this was the black district. It was underground, three levels beneath the surface, lit by pale green lights that gave the whole place a spooky air. Here you could find whatever you wanted: spice, unregistered courtesans, F-class animals, banned weapons, organs, slaves. A nightmare for the Hosnian police.

Ben kept the hood of his grey robes up as Rey led them to a nearby hostel. The chances of being recognized here were low, but Rey supposed a senator could never be too careful. It wouldn't do to be caught on holocamera by anyone.

Rey walked slightly ahead of him, leading the way. She wore her hair up in a bun, showing off her back, which this white dress left entirely bare. She could feel eyes on her, she always could when she was dressed for the evening. But most of all, she could feel Ben's stare. Tracing her lines as if stroking his fingers over her skin.

He wasn't acting as if he only intended to talk with her.

"Here we are," Rey said. "This place is my favorite. Hardly any rodents." She smirked, enjoying how her joke made him squirm.

Ben checked them in for the night, which got a raised brow from the clerk. He wasn't used to the whole night being bought, either.

Rey led the way to their room, a clean but small set-up, with a bed large enough for mischief and soft enough for sleep. Rey wondered if she'd get either tonight.

Ben was poking around the room, obviously nervous and Rey just sat on the bed to watch. He'd bought the evening, so he could do what he liked. What he liked, apparently, was scoping out the dimensions of the closet.

"Do they do room service here?" Ben asked, after opening and closing the closet door a few times, and fiddling with the hinges.

"We just ate," Rey said. "And...no."

Ben pulled the hard metal chair away from its matching desk and dragged it closer to Rey. It looked uncomfortable, but it gave him somewhere to sit besides the bed. He ran a hand through his hair, tugging for only an instant before yanking his hand away. Likely someone had told him that this gesture made him look nervous all over, had trained it out of him so he could stand in the public eye.

Rey smiled softly at the idea that she made him lose his composure.

"You're something else," Ben said.

Rey snorted. Such meaningful conversation. She only uncrossed her legs, parting them a bit, and said, "Am I?"

Ben breathed deep, trying not to look at where her thighs were parted. He was interested. It was written all over him, in every nervous twitch of his hands and the careful aversion of his gaze when she spread her legs another inch. Definitely interested. Then why wasn't he doing something about it?

Rey reached down, pulling off her boots and socks, flexing her toes and pointing her feet. Long and narrow, she knew that clients in the past had been quite interested in her oddly elegant feet.

Ben only blushed.

"I know what to do if you want me to take charge, you know? I can make you feel good, make you feel less nervous."

He wavered, hesitating in his seat. Rey was certain that if she moved his hair from his face and laid her lips at his temple, she'd taste the bitter salt of an anxious sweat.

Then he jerked, stood, shrugging out of his robes and pulling his tunic over his head.

"I've had contraceptive and prophylactic shots. You?"

Rey smiled kindly. She was earning her keep after all.

"Yes. I have my charts on my holo if you'd like to check them. I'm up to date."

"No," he said. "I don't… that's okay. I believe you."

 _That was a weird thing to say._

Rey stood, plucking at the buttons at the neck of her backless dress. She pulled the garment down, baring her modest chest to Ben.

He looked at her, a ruddy stain stealing over his cheeks before he averted his gaze yet again, working on the falls of his trousers.

Rey bit back a chuckle. It was almost endearing to see someone so nervous to pay for sex, so unsure and outright polite. It tugged at places inside her she thought long dead.

Apparently her girlishness was only buried beneath the sand, corroded and barely passable for scrap—but not dead. She wasn't dead yet.

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 **Notes:** I'm co-writing this story with Next to Something, aka ReyloTrashCompactor over at AO3 and tumblr. Thanks so much for reading. We'd love it if you let us know your thoughts, so please take a moment to leave a comment below. :)


	2. Chapter 2

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 **Chapter Two**

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This should be an easy transaction. He could have so much for so little, the use of Rey's body for a few measly credits, and he wouldn't have to worry about giving anything more. There was a simplicity to this that appealed to him, knowing he could find pleasure without having to offer any pieces of himself that mattered. Ben needed that, the protection that could come with distance.

But if their arrangement was truly so easy, he wouldn't be shaking like this. His hands trembled, as unsteady as he felt when he stripped out of the rest of his clothes.

This was stupid. Rey was an unregistered, low-class courtesan, as illegal to purchase as anything else on the black market. And he liked her. She was clever, forward, hardheaded—and Force-sensitive. Instead of telling her the truth, like he'd intended, he was lying. Lying, and paying to fuck her.

As soon as she finished undressing, Rey sat on the edge of the bed, and the sight of her naked was enough to distract him from his anxiety. She was perfect, her body crafted in long lines and modest curves. So beautiful, bare just for him.

"Ben?" she said, a question-but-not, asking him to come to bed.

This was stupid, yes, but he was doing it anyway, and he might as well take what he wanted without stumbling through it.

Ben wanted to push her down and kiss her little breasts, so he did. Rey grabbed his hair, moaning as he licked from the underside of her breast to her pink nipple, then sucked. Her cries were too loud to be genuine, but that would change soon. She hadn't been wearing panties, and it was easy enough to reach between her legs, to feel that she wasn't as wet as he wanted her to be. He rubbed her where she most needed attention, quick circles that made her moans quieter but higher. Real. Ben kept at it until she was bucking against his fingers, biting her knuckles, reaching for a pleasure that he dangled just out of reach.

When he pushed two fingers inside her she made the prettiest sound, silk soft, more breath than voice. She was wet now, and so tight, almost like she was new for him when that was far from the truth.

Rey was close, but Ben didn't want that yet. He wasn't ready to make her come, and it pleased some small, mean part of him to work her up without finishing her.

So he stopped, wiped off his slick fingers on her thigh, and said, "Get on your hands and knees."

Rey froze, surprise written around her open mouth. It was gone in an instant, that tender expression replaced by something closed-off, professional but invulnerable. She got into the position he'd ordered, arched her back and spread her legs, presenting herself lewdly for him. This was all he'd paid for, a hot, wet fuck in a rented room. So it seemed that was all she was going to give him.

Ben barely choked back a groan as he brought his cock to Rey's sex. Her body welcomed him with slick heat as he pushed inside, so good that he almost couldn't stand it. He kept his thrusts deep and rough but slow, because he didn't want this to be over too soon. It had been a long time since he'd had a chance to have sex, and he wasn't about to make it quick and easy on Rey. She'd gone back to her falsetto moans, put-on cries that he wasn't going to let her get away with.

He kept her hips steady, not allowing her to rock back against him, just holding her still and open for his use. It took a moment of having her harder for Ben to realize what Rey liked best and how to unravel her. Then she was breathing hard, sobbing soft and damp, so prettily that it pushed him right to the edge, but Ben didn't let himself fall over it. He hadn't felt this in control in longer than he could remember, and he wasn't ready to stop yet.

Rey must hate him for taking her like this, teasing her with a release that he refused to give. It wasn't kind, or necessary, or part of this bargain, but Ben kept at it. He owned this girl at least for the night, and she was his to toy with. It stoked something cold and sharp inside him, a taste of the darkness he missed.

"Are you close?" he asked.

"Yes," Rey gasped. "Please, let me—let me come."

Ben thrust faster making her beg, shake, wail.

Then he slowed again. "No. I don't think I will."

Not yet anyway.

Rey arched, clutching herself around him, and Ben couldn't hold back anymore, not with her body so tight around his cock. He came hard enough that it shook him from head to toe, his whole body on fire, jolts of heat sparking over him as he shouted, pounding into her. Filling her, pressing his spend as far into her body as it could go.

As soon as he came down, Ben pulled out of Rey, pushed her flat to the bed, and flipped her onto her back. He settled over her, then kissed her forehead, her cheek, the tip of her nose. Giving all the gentleness he'd denied her while they were fucking.

"Can I kiss you on the mouth?" he asked, feeling oddly shy all over again.

Rey looked up at him with obvious confusion. "Yes?" she said.

It was odd, kissing a woman he'd already been inside. Ben had never done this out of order before, but Rey was turning everything upside down and driving him to break all kinds of rules.

She opened her mouth to him willingly enough, and he kissed her deeply, tenderly. She was messy, unpracticed, which was sadder than he could name. Rey had undoubtedly had plenty of paying lovers, but it seemed few of them had bothered to kiss her.

Not that he'd treated her well. Far from it, and shame was setting in now that his lust had been seen to. He wanted to kiss Rey all night and have her again, this time for her pleasure more than his, and skip work tomorrow morning. Which was exactly why he shouldn't be doing any of this.

Ben had needed something simple, to keep his feelings in a box while he took what he wanted. But he'd never been any good at that, and using Rey hadn't helped a bit.

He tried to make his kiss into an apology, pouring it into her, sip by sip, as his mouth worked over hers.

 _I'm no good at this. Selfish. Needed you._

He tried to cup her face, but Rey twisted out from under him, wiping her lips with the back of her hand like she wanted to rid her mouth of his taste.

"Enough kissing."

Ben hadn't expected that, to be told to do anything, but he was glad of it. Relieved to know that Rey wouldn't submit to whatever he tried to give her without regard for her own wants. Although he found it curious that, of everything he'd done to her tonight, _kissing_ had pushed her limits.

He sat back on his knees, sucked on three fingers, and pressed them to her sex, still wet with her need and his come. He could make this up to her, make it so good she'd never want him out of her bed.

"I won't tease you," he said. "I'll take care of you this time, sweetheart. I promise."

"No promises," she said, lying back and posturing for him. "Do it or don't, it all pays the same."

That irritated Ben more than he had any right to, but he pushed it down.

He worked Rey with no patience and little tenderness, thrusting his fingers into her as roughly as he dared.

"You're so pretty," he said, taking her harder, higher. "Prettiest thing I've ever had my hands on."

It was true, and even if Rey didn't believe him she clearly liked hearing it. She was quiet this time, stubbornly holding in her moans, but she couldn't stop her harsh breathing or hide the way she arched into his touch. Taking, wanting, needing everything he gave her.

Ben unraveled her with three fingers and sugared words. That was all he had to do, work her hard and talk her soft, and she lost her grip on her control.

Rey kept quiet when she came. He dragged one climax from her, then another, but she gritted her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut. Stubborn, spiteful, beautiful girl.

He could feel a fierce shiver of the Force rumbling through the room, rattling the glass on the bedside table. Ben would hate to see what would happen if Rey learned to reach into the energy around her, or if anger drove her to misuse it. He'd love to see it too.

Ben said her name, praising her and coaxing her by turns, until she settled. He didn't take his fingers from her when she collapsed back against the pillows.

He was breathless and trembling, a wreck just from taking Rey apart. She lay panting on the bed, her sex still pulsing around his fingers, fluttering through the last aftershocks of her orgasm. He curled his fingers one more time, hitting that sensitive spot she loved, making her yelp. Her first unrestrained sound since he'd set about pleasing her.

Ben finally let her go, but he brought his fingers to her mouth and told her to suck them clean. He gave the order gently, but it was an order nonetheless, to make her taste the pleasure he'd just given her. Rey glared at him as she licked up the remains of her wet and his come, but she did it all the same.

Ben rolled onto his back and brought Rey along so that she was sprawled on top of him. She made an undignified noise, and Ben laughed at her, but not with much vigor.

"I'm exhausted," he said. "Let's sleep, yeah?"

"I don't sleep," she said.

He gave her the most unimpressed look he could.

"I don't sleep with clients, I mean. _Sleep_ sleep. I fuck, then I fuck off."

"Well you can't fuck off until morning," Ben reminded her.

Rey sat up, straddling his waist. He could feel the damp between her legs, their mess wetting his stomach.

"You paid to _just talk_ all night," Rey said, rolling her eyes.

Ben swallowed, flushing so hotly that he had to be red from his forehead to his chest.

"I want another five hundred for the sex, and on top of that, to sleep here…" She looked away from him, frowning. No doubt trying to think up a ridiculous sum. "A thousand."

"Twenty-five hundred credits?" Ben asked. "Are you serious?"

Rey shrugged. "You can afford it."

"All right," Ben said. Her price was ridiculous, but he'd pay it if that's what it took to keep her in this bed. "Now get under the covers with me. It's cold."

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 _Twenty-five hundred credits._

That was over a month of work, all for a really enjoyable lay and a warm, clean bed. Oh! And dinner. He'd also bought her dinner.

Rey almost felt guilty for demanding so much, but he hadn't even tried to haggle with her. Just rolled over and showed her his credit lined belly. She'd been able to tell that Ben Solo was a strange one from the moment she met him, and this was the most potent proof yet. But the bed was soft and the company smelled wonderful, like wealthy, not-quite-clean man. She was well-fed and well-had, something she'd never been able to say about herself before.

So when he pulled her in close, breathing in the scent of her cheap shampoo like it was fresh cut flowers, she didn't stop him. She let him tuck her naked into his wide, warm body, and squeeze the breath out of her with a heavy arm at her middle. She didn't know this man, but she even allowed herself to fall under, figuring it was her due if he murdered her in her sleep.

Rey woke hours later, a tender noise torn from her throat as she felt Ben flicking his thumb across her nipple, drawing it to an attentive peak. Sleep leached from her edges and she wanted him to keep touching her, make her wet and ready again. Put her on her back and fuck her again, get her off with his cock inside her, the way she knew he could.

But even though there were no windows in his underground motel, Rey knew it was getting late, and Ben would need to leave soon. Get up, get out of here. Get back to his life.

Even if he got another quickie from her, this night was over. It was over.

"I want to see you again. Tomorrow night."

Rey stirred, groaning and stretching, feeling heavy and sated. His hands stopped wandering, but he wasn't pulling away from her either.

"Tomorrow night?" she asked, not quite following. She felt slow and stupid, two steps behind him.

"Yes," Ben said. "I'll pay for you to stay here, if you want. Keep the bed warm for me while I'm gone."

That jolted her awake. Rey sat up, looking down at the man sprawled in the bed. _Gods_ he was beautiful first thing in the morning. Fucked out and messy, so warm she could feel him wafting heat from beneath the covers.

"I can't just stay here."

He tugged her back down, holding her close enough to bruise. Fear should be her gut-reaction to this, but it was tender want she felt instead. Rey couldn't remember the last time she'd been held.

"You can if I pay enough."

There was a sharp sting at the corners of her eyes, a dull throb in her chest. Rey pulled away from him. "You can't afford that. I have to work. To eat."

"I know you've been gouging me, sweetheart, but I don't mind." Ben sat up and manhandled her onto his lap so that she was straddling him. "I'll give you another three thousand, cover the room, and pay for your meals if you stay here for me."

Rey tugged at the ends of her hair, looking over his shoulder. Ben Solo was a spoiled brat, trying to buy her, not like a woman whose services could be paid for, but like a thing that could be owned. It hurt, but half the pain was temptation.

Ben grabbed her chin and made her meet his gaze. "And no working while I'm gone. All right?"

Rey grimaced. "I just wait here. For you."

"Yes," he said, his smile growing. "Eat something, watch a trashy drama. Sleep all day. Take a miniature vacation. Just be here tomorrow night and don't sleep with anyone else."

She chewed her cheek. No. She couldn't.

"Thirty-five hundred," Ben said, his eyes watching her so closely she swore she could feel his gaze on her skin.

 _Six thousand credits. For practically nothing._ It was foolish to turn this down, ridiculous to walk away.

"Okay," she said, feeling soft. So she straightened, stopped chewing her cheek and pressed her lips into a hard line. "But I want the money in advance. I don't want you to stick me with a hotel bill I can't afford if you don't come back."

Ben laughed. "I wasn't born yesterday. If I give you all the money now you have no reason to wait here."

Rey scowled and tried to climb off of him, but Ben wrapped his arms around her before she could get away.

"I'm a courtesan, not a thief," she grunted, struggling in his grip.

"And I'm not a cheap bastard who would stand you up," Ben snapped. "I'll give you all but the last thousand. Fair?"

"Fine!" she hissed, and he let her go. It was a long moment before she fully realized what she was agreeing to. Two days and a night of nothing. Of waiting for Ben to come back, and just resting and eating and lounging till then. Like a proper lady of leisure.

He was smiling, though it didn't quite touch his eyes. The grin of a man who won, not of a man who was pleased.

Rey ducked and kissed him, because she felt like she should. He was the first person to ever give her a day off, and he seemed to like kissing.

Ben groaned into her mouth, a sound first of pleasure, then frustration. He pulled away and said, "I'm late for work already. I need to go."

Rey ran her fingers through his hair, an unwanted softness catching in her throat. She wanted a happy smile. She wanted-

"Then go."

Ben kissed her forehead. "Soon. I want to hold you for another minute."

She tried her best to not look into this. To stay hard and strong through it. But when he tried nothing beyond kissing lazily at her temple, Rey found that this wasn't so simple as it had been before. She let herself be held, be kissed, and when he stood up from the bed, her whine was an honest, pathetic noise.

Rey had told Ben to leave, but in truth, she wanted him to stay.

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End file.
